(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to stair rails and, more particularly, to a stair rail system having a two-piece handrail assembly.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In stairway systems aesthetics and construction quality are very important. This applies to not only the treads and balusters but also to the handrail and newels of a stairway system. An adequate competence level of skill is often lacking in both the labor market and in the “do-it-yourself” market. To address this, it is desirable to have a stairway and rail system that lowers the required competence level in carpentry by, for example, removing or minimizing the amount of measuring, cutting, drilling, and chiseling involved in installing the stairway system. Similarly, it is also desirable to have subcomponents, such as handrails, balusters and ends inclosing volutes, turnouts, caps, upeasings and overeasings, that also lower the required competence level in carpentry in installing the subcomponents.
Also, as people desire to become involved in “do-it-yourself” home renovations, achieving the high standard of construction quality traditionally obtained through custom carpentry is difficult for the average weekend carpenter. Alternatives for maintaining construction quality and aesthetics have included prefabricated stairway systems; however, these alternatives are not always suitable for installation by those lacking an adequate competence level in carpentry to create a stair system. In addition, such prefabricated systems are usually much more costly to manufacture.
Thus, there remains a need for a stairway and rail system having a two-piece handrail assembly which may be easily installed while, at the same time, can be economically produced and sold.